Tom Ehrlich appointed CSU Distinguished University Scholar by Chancellor
Barry Munitz. Dr. Ehrlich led the effort at expanding service learning throughout the system.
Dr. Ehrlich is now a senior scholar at the
Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching where he continues his research and writing
about civic and political engagement.

1997

The Community Service Learning
Strategic Plan was developed and focused
on expanding service learning throughout the system. The plan had two key objectives:

Engage students at each CSU campus in at least one community service-learning experience
prior to graduation.

Offer a continuum of community service opportunities at each CSU campus, including a wide
variety of community service-learning experiences, as well as extra-curricular and
co-curricular community service experiences.

1998

On January 28, the Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the
Cornerstones Report, a systemwide
planning framework that articulates the values, priorities and expectations for the future of
the CSU. The creation of Cornerstones Report preceded the Strategic Plan for Community Service
Learning; however, it was not formally endorsed until 1998. The first principle in the plan
explicitly articulates what a graduate of the University is expected to know, including, "the
ability to value one's own self and the communities of which one is a part, to make moral and
ethical decisions, and to act in a socially responsible manner." This declaration emphasized
the need for service learning and civic education as part of students' educational
experiences.

2000

In March, the Statewide Academic Senate of the California State
University passed a resolution
(AS-2488-00), which urged the
Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to work with the Governor and the Legislature to
"provide the CSU local campuses and their faculties with the infrastructure support
required to provide opportunities for all CSU students who so desire to engage in a broad
spectrum of meaningful service activities within their communities."

2000

Also in March, in parallel to the Academic Senate, the CSU Board of
Trustees passed a landmark resolution(.pdf) on community service learning:

RESOLVED, By the Trustees of The California State University, that the
chancellor require each CSU president to ensure that all students have opportunities to
participate in community service, service learning (deemed academically appropriate by
faculty), or both; and, be it furtherRESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees, through the chancellor, endorse campus
efforts to make service an expectation, condition, or requirement for the undergraduate
education experience; and, be it furtherRESOLVED, That the chancellor report to the Board of Trustees, on an annual
basis, CSU's increasing efforts to provide those opportunities to all students.

2000

Governor Gray Davis authorized $2.2 million to support the development
of new service-learning courses and infrastructure across the CSU. Since then, the funding
has continued at the annual level of $1.1 million and is focused on infrastructure
development.

Supported by funding from the J. Paul Getty Trust, six CSU campuses (Dominguez Hills,
Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona) participated in the
Linking Service Learning and the Visual
Arts program that greatly expanding programs and opportunities for students in the
arts to participate in service learning.

2001-2003

In partnership with national Campus Compact and California Campus Compact, OCSL offers
Engaged Department Institutes to 30
academic departments from across the CSU.

2003-2006

The Corporation for National and Community Service/Learn and Serve
America program awarded the CSU a $1.2 million grant
Realizing the Civic Mission of Education
in the CSU, a three-year initiative to support long-term institutionalization of
service learning and civic engagement.

2004

In the 2004-2005 academic year, over 15 percent of the CSU student body, more than 65,000
students, had the opportunity to participate in service learning.

2005

A landmark study analyzing the social and economic impact of the
California State University on the state of California, the California
State University: Working for California, was released. The study finds that "the
California State University is a national leader in community service and service learning.
The product of individual initiative, campus-based organizations and university policies,
these volunteers help strengthen local communities and improve the livability and
attractiveness of the state" (CSU Impact:
Quality of Life)

Five CSU campuses - Chico, Fresno, Monterey Bay, San Francisco, and San Marcos - along
with 71 other U.S. colleges and universities received the first-ever elective
Community Engagement Classification
from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This recognition, from an independent
higher education center, affirms the deep investment and continuing excellence CSU campuses have
made to their communities.

2006-2007

Service-learning offices at CSU campuses and the Chancellor's office embark on a
comprehensive strategic planning initiative. The planning process elicited a fresh opportunity
to consider how these offices play a role in advancing the CSU's public service to local
communities, California, and beyond.

2007

In collaboration with Stylus Publishing, the CSU launched its first national monograph
series on community issues, such as social justice, gender identity, equity, and violence.
Sixty-two faculty and five graduate students chronicle their personal experiences in working
in partnership with communities.

The Office of Community Service Learning celebrates 10-years of dramatic growth and
innovation in the service-learning movement in the California State University.

2008

The Office of Community Service Learning ushers in a new name, the Center for
Community Engagement, with the adoption of the 2008-2013 office strategic plan. Along
with this change comes a new mission and bold vision that chart out the Center's future
directions, goals, and action steps, and builds upon the CSU's 10-year legacy of growth.